John Mark Heard III, born December 16, 1951, in Macon, Georgia, was an American record producer and folk rock singer-songwriter. His first recording was with Infinity+3, releasing Setting Yesterday Free in 1970. He went solo in 1972 and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1974. In 1975, Heard released his debut album Mark Heard. From 1981 to 1985, he released five albums for Home Sweet Home Records: Stop the Dominoes (1981), Victims of the Age (1982), Eye of the Storm (1983), Ashes and Light (1984), and Mosaics (1985). He also notably worked with Randy Stonehill, Phil Keaggy, and Peter Buck of R.E.M. on the album Killing Floor (1992) by Vigilantes of Love. Heard's final release was Satellite Sky in 1992. On July 4, 1992, he suffered a heart attack on stage at the Cornerstone Festival. He went into cardiac arrest again two weeks after being released from the hospital and died on August 16, 1992.
